IMAGES of life as an officer cadet has won the main prize in a competition which captures the unseen scenes of British Army life.
Bombardier Murray Kerr caught comrades with shields and batons in what appears to be a simulated conflict and also of the cadets sleeping in their bunks.
He won Best Amateur Portfolio in the prestigious annual British Army Photographic Competition.
Mr Kerr, 45, from Glasgow, a reservist photographer of 13 years, said: “Taking pictures for the Sandhurst Group is such a great experience.
“It really is a centre of excellence.
“The officer cadets work so hard to get to climb the steps and commission into the Army; as such you always get such good photo opportunities in all weathers, night or day.”
Mr Kerr, who served on Op Herrick 7 in Afghanistan as a Gunner, added: “The professionalism of the directing staff who make it all work set such a high standard that you are seeing people at their very best.”
Some 780 entries were submitted.
Other highlights included an incredible photo of a soldier’s piercing stare taken by Sgt Jonathan van Zyl, 35, an infantry soldier turned professional Army snapper.
Father-of-two Mr van Zyl, who lives in Hampshire, said: “It was one of those moments; you just saw it and you took it.
“It wasn’t planned or anything, but it works. I think it’s the soldier’s eyes, looking into his eyes, it draws you into it.”
The portrait was taken during Exercise Northern Strike in America.
Jonathan, previously in the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, was an infantry soldier for 11 years, based in Germany until two years ago.
An aerial shot of Chelsea Pensioners paying their respects at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday got first prize in the “open to the public” category.
It was taken by Royal Navy photographer Petty Officer Owen Cooban, 39, from Crawley.
The annual competition is open to all regular and reserve personnel, staff and cadets, and contractors who work directly with the army.
The competition aims to capture snapshots of army life not usually seen by the public.
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